The Tin Can has grown by leaps and bounds in the Lansing area. This is largely due to the fact that many of the micro breweries have started canning their beers. Beverage/ Marketing Manager Stacey Fedewa had this to say, “We have always tried to support the local economy by featuring local products such as our faygo bombs. (Faygo bomb = Flavored Vodkas mixed with Faygo pop made in MI) As far as beers we have carried Keweenaw Brewing company since day one. They were the only micro brew from Michigan to can their product. Now we feature a variety of micro brews from: Bell's Brewery, Blackrock's Brewery, Brewery Vivant, Frankenmuth Brewing Co., Keweenaw Brewing Co., Vander Mill Cider, Uncle John's Cider, Right Brain Brewery, Griffin Claw Brewing Co., Atwater Brewery, and many more.” All of those are great choices in a state filled with excellent craft beer.

The weekend was cold and rainy but that couldn’t keep the legions of thirsty beer drinkers away from Brewery Vivant’s4th Annual Wood Aged Beer fest. The brewery has continued to expand the festival to keep up with demand which has gone from overfilling the pub, to the beer garden, to last year the parking lot, to this year a whole stretch of Cherry St. and all this after only over the last few short years. Fortunately large tents awaited those who braved the weather to sample the 20+ specialty wood age release and sour Brewery Vivant specialty beers.

The City of Rockford kicked off the 2014 fall season with an all weekend-long downtown Harvest Fest celebration and Rockford Brewing Company was on hand with live music, food, and 20 different beers flowing between the pub and outdoor beer tent. Each day featured exclusive tappings with Saturday’s activities including a chili cook-off and the Coq2Fly 14.7 mile group bike ride from Brewery Vivant which included the tapping of a new collaboration brew.

Downtown Manistee’s 3rd Annual Hops and Props on the river was a weekend long celebration of beer, boats, music and food. The festivities began Friday evening with a kickoff reception at the Boathouse grill, with events throughout the day on Saturday and wrapping up on Sunday morning with the Boater’s Brunch in the lobby of the Ramsdell Inn. Featured events included a beer tent, art and boat shows, and a series of tap takeovers throughout the downtown area.

Brew House is located at 255 Seminole Dr. in the City of Norton Shores in Muskegon County conveniently right off the Seaway Drive / Business 31 on the way into town. The business was previously a coffee house but has been relaunched under new ownership and has recently expanded beyond traditional coffee drinks with the addition of a full bar with an emphasis on Michigan craft beer, wine, and spirits.

This year was the second year for Midtown on Tap put on by the Midtown Neighborhood Association in Grand Rapids. The event is held at the Midtown Green Park at Fountain and Eastern and was free to attend with family-friendly hours from 2 to 4 PM featuring helium balloons, face painting and frozen juice as well as games and prizes. Live music was also featured with local bands including Love Fossil, Cabildo, and The Juno Blacklist. The event also served to showcase local food vendors with a variety of options provided by B&Y BBQ and StoryLane Catering.

Brewery Vivant to host over 2,500 taste-trippers at the 4th annual Wood-Aged Beer Festival (WABF) on Saturday October 4, 2014, 1pm-8pm. This 21+ festival will showcase over 20 rare and limited edition bourbon barrel, wine barrel, and oak-aged beers. The Vivant kitchen will join the brewers outside, cranking out festival-style fare. Tickets are $12 and only available online--www.breweryvivant.com -- admission includes two beer/food tokens and a collector's edition tasting glass. Families are welcome, but children must be accompanied by a parent.

For the second year in a row, over twenty Grand Rapids area breweries are teaming up with Friends of Grand Rapids Parks to raise money for their Urban Forest Project, an initiative to maximize the tree canopy in all parts of the city.

On the weekend of Sept.26, 2014, thousands of people will pour into Rockford’s scenic downtown for Harvest Festival, and in anticipation for this event, Rockford Brewing Company (RBC) has prepared a special lineup of entertainment.

Tickets for Brewery Vivant's4th annual Wood Aged Beer Fest go on sale September 1 at www.breweryvivant.com. Tickets will not be sold the day of the event, so If you want to attend make sure you purchase your tickets now.